Medical uncertainty has been with us for centuries and remains a recurrent problem for patients, doctors, and researchers alike. Yet uncertainty in health care is still poorly understood and ineffectively managed; it is generally feared and avoided rather than directly confronted. This systemic disregard of uncertainty leads us to treat medical uncertainty as a pathological condition to be cured through the pursuit of knowledge, but often further medical knowledge begets further uncertainty in kind. Uncertainty in Medicine offers an alternative, multi-disciplinary perspective on this challenging problem. Integrating insights across clinical medicine and social science, Dr. Paul Han argues that uncertainty is an essential form of knowledge to be cultivated, rather than eradicated, in medical practice. He makes the case that the paradigm of medicine should be expanded to include not only the pursuit of medical knowledge but the treatment and palliation of medical uncertainty and its effects on physicians, other health professionals, and patients. Using clear language and a textbook approach, he analyzes the nature, etiology, and natural history of medical uncertainty, and develops a conceptual framework to guide its management. By promoting a more systematic way of conceptualizing the problem, this framework can enable clinicians and patients to better address medical uncertainty, and can help make uncertainty tolerance a more central focus of medical care. Rational and reassuring, Uncertainty in Medicine forges a new path for approaching medical uncertainty by arming readers from an array of disciplines with the tools they need to diagnose, treat, and confront its challenges more intentionally and effectively.

About the Author
Paul K.J. Han, MD, MA, MPH, is Senior Scientist at the National Cancer Institute. He has worked previously in clinical practice as a general internist and trained medical students and residents in risk communication and shared decision making.

Reviews
Han develops a rigorous, clinically useful model of managing medical uncertainty ... The book is written mostly for clinicians and students in clinical training programs, offering practical advice and strategies for helping patients and practitioners manage the anxiety surrounding uncertainty in clinical practice. * A. W. Klink, CHOICE *
In Uncertainty in Medicine, Paul Han brilliantly offers a groundbreaking and timely exploration of a state of mind that is perilously feared and misunderstood. Written with wit and clarity, this book is a must-read for anyone in medicine and beyond who seeks to better comprehend and harness this inescapable facet of human life. * Maggie Jackson, award-winning social critic and author of Distracted: Reclaiming Our Focus in a World of Lost Attention *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190270582
Author Paul K.J. Han
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 230g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 140mm * 14mm